The New York Times is tracking the human toll of the conflict in this feature. The primary source is the online video that has allowed a widening war to be documented like no other, and posts try to put the video into context.
Edited by Liam Stack

Video posted to YouTube on Wednesday shows homes burning after shelling in Daraya, a town south of Damascus.

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Black Smoke Rises Over an Abandoned Street

Video posted to YouTube on Wednesday shows a building burning after shelling in Daraya, a town outside of Damascus. Flames leap from its roof as a thick column of black smoke rises over a street that appears silent and abandoned. The walls of neighboring buildings bear the scars of past shells, and a Dumpster nearby burns as well. The crackle of gunfire can be heard in the distance. The cameraman describes the damage as "the effects of constant, violent shelling" in the town.

This video in context

What We Know

This video was posted to YouTube by an account associated with anti-government activists. Daraya and other southern suburbs of the capital have been heavily bombed in recent weeks. Activists said the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp was shelled on Wednesday, killing 11 people.

What We Don't Know

We do not know if the shell used in this attack was launched by the government or by rebel fighters. We do not know the number of casualties it may have caused, or how many people still live in this neighborhood of Daraya, which appears to have been heavily damaged.

Other Videos

This video, posted to YouTube by an account associated with rebels in Daraya, shows an area of the town that has been heavily damaged by fighting. The skeletal remains of apartment buildings stand over empty streets, their windows blown out and walls scarred by shrapnel.